The NFL on Thursday announced the New England Patriots will host a game in Germany next season. Who will their opponent be? That, we don’t yet know.
But we do have the list of potential options.
The Patriots are designated as the home team for this game — their first outside the United States since 2017 and their first in Europe since 2012 — so their opponent pool is limited to teams scheduled to play at New England in 2023.
Included in that group are the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. But since they’re hosting their own international games — in Germany and London, respectively — they can’t face the Patriots in this one, which will be played in either Munich or Frankfurt.
That leaves these seven possible opponents:
Miami Dolphins
New York Jets
New Orleans Saints
Los Angeles Chargers
Indianapolis Colts
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Commanders
The NFL typically avoids playing divisional games outside of North America, making an AFC East matchup with the Dolphins or Jets less likely. But that’s not a hard-and-fast rule. In 2019, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played the Carolina Panthers (NFC South) and the Jacksonville Jaguars played the Houston Texans (AFC South), both in London.
This will be the Patriots’ first time playing in Germany, which hosted its first regular-season NFL game this season. New England has a large German fanbase and has employed multiple German players in the past, including longtime right tackle Sebastian Vollmer and fullback Jakob Johnson.
The Patriots are scheduled to face Johnson’s Las Vegas Raiders next season, but since that is a road game for New England, the league cannot stage it in Germany.
The date and venue for the Patriots’ Germany game will be announced at a later date.
